System and method for application alert tracking in an Internet protocol television system

ABSTRACT

A maintenance system for an IPTV network includes a logging module, a ticketing module, and an operations module. The logging module receives a fault alert from a service provider and sends the alert to the ticketing module. The ticketing module determines the urgency of the fault, generates a ticket, assigns priority to the ticket based upon the urgency, and sends the ticket to the operations module. The operations module allocates the ticket and sends a message to a mobile device regarding the ticket. A method includes receiving a fault alert from a service provider, sending the alert to a ticketing module, determining the urgency of the event, generating a ticket, assigning priority to the ticket based upon the urgency, sending the ticket to an operations module, allocating the ticket, and sending a message to a mobile device the ticket.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure generally relates to an Internet protocoltelevision system, and more particularly relates to application alerttracking in an Internet protocol television system.

BACKGROUND

An Internet protocol television (IPTV) service provider can transmit anIPTV signal to a user of the IPTV system via a central office, a servingarea interface, and a residential gateway. The IPTV service provider canoffer the user a variety of different content and services. For example,the IPTV service provider can supply users with real-time televisionprograms that are typically available for the users to watch only at aspecific date and time, or on-demand movies that are available for anextended amount of time and that are provided to the users upon requestof the on-demand movie. The IPTV service provider can also supply userswith service applications that enhance the users' enjoyment of the IPTVservice. Third parties can source content and services to the IPTVservice provider.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

It will be appreciated that for simplicity and clarity of illustration,elements illustrated in the Figures have not necessarily been drawn toscale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements areexaggerated relative to other elements. Embodiments incorporatingteachings of the present disclosure are shown and described with respectto the drawings presented herein, in which:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an embodiment of an IPTV system;

FIG. 2 is an illustration of a system for processing third party contentand service provisioning for the IPTV system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an illustration of a maintenance network in the IPTV system ofFIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a method for alert tracking in anIPTV system; and

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing an illustrative embodiment of ageneral computer system.

The use of the same reference symbols in different drawings indicatessimilar or identical items.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The numerous innovative teachings of the present application will bedescribed with particular reference to the presently preferred exemplaryembodiments. However, it should be understood that this class ofembodiments provides only a few examples of the many advantageous usesof the innovative teachings herein. In general, statements made in thespecification of the present application do not necessarily limit any ofthe various claimed inventions. Moreover, some statements may apply tosome inventive features but not to others.

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of an IPTV system 100 including a clientfacing (CF) tier 102, an application tier 104, an acquisition tier 106,an operations and management (OM) tier 108, and one or more sets ofclient equipment 110. Client equipment 110 is typically located at thehome or business premises of a subscriber to the IPTV system 100. IPTVsystem 100 includes an access network 192, a private network 194, and apublic network 196. Each tier 102, 104, 106, and 108 is coupled to oneor more of access network 192, private network 194, and public network196. In an embodiment, CF tier 102 is coupled to access network 192 andto private network 194, application tier 104 is coupled to privatenetwork 194 and to public network 196, acquisition tier 106 is coupledto private network 194 and to public network 196, and OM tier 108 iscoupled to public network 196. Client equipment 110 is coupled to accessnetwork 192.

Networks 192, 194 and 196 communicate information between tiers 102,104, 106, and 108, and client equipment 110. Access network 192communicates information between CF tier 102 and client equipment 110.Private network 194 communicates information between CF tier 102 andapplication tier 104, between application tier 104 and acquisition tier106, and between acquisition tier 106 and CF tier 102. Public network196 communicates information between application tier 104 andacquisition tier 106, between acquisition tier 106 and OM tier 108, andbetween OM tier 108 and application tier 104. Information is alsocommunicated directly between CF tier 102 and application tier 104, asdescribed below. The information communicated between tiers 102, 104,106, and 108, and client equipment 110 includes encoded televisionprograms, audio files, data files, commands, procedures, otherinformation, or any combination thereof.

CF tier 102 communicates with multiple sets of client equipment 110 overa wide geographic area, such as a regional area, a metropolitan area, aviewing area, or any other suitable geographic area that is supported byaccess network 192. Client equipment 110 includes a modem 112, a set-topbox 114, a display device 116, and a remote control 118. The set-top box114 includes a digital video recorder (DVR) 120 and a control module125. Modem 112 is coupled to access network 192, and translatesinformation from a form suitable for transmission over access network192 to a form suitable for use by set-top box 114, and vice versa. In anon-limiting example, modem 112 is coupled to access network 192 viafiber-optic cables, a digital subscriber line (DSL), another networkfabric, or any combination thereof.

The information that CF tier 102 communicates to modem 112 is sent toset-top box 114, which processes the information into a form suitablefor display by display device 116 or for recording by DVR 120. Set-topbox 114 receives digitally encoded content from CF tier 102 for displayon display device 116, or for recording by DVR 120. Set-top box 114 canalso receive data from CF tier 102, and render or display the data ondisplay device 116. Further, set-top box 114 can send data to CF tier102. Such data can include service requests, or commands from thesubscriber, received by set-top box 112 via remote control 118. Forexample, control module 125 can include a remote control interfacemodule (not illustrated) for receiving inputs to set-top box 112 fromremote control 118. In this way, the subscriber can request services orinformation or respond to a request for information from IPTV system100. Control module 125 includes instructions that are executable byset-top box 114 to control the data flow between the subscriber and IPTVsystem 100. Control module 125 can include an IPTV software platformsuch as Microsoft® TV IPTV Edition.

Control module 125 can facilitate data communication between set-top box114 and IPTV system 100. For example, control module 125 can include aprocedure whereby set-top box 114 receives a request to record contenton DVR 120, or sends a status to IPTV system 100 that the content hasbeen recorded. Likewise, control module 125 can include a procedurewhereby the subscriber can interact with IPTV system 100 to receive andexecute a viewing preference that the subscriber has created in IPTVsystem 100. Such preferences can be created via remote control 118, orthrough a subscriber account that is accessible through public network196, such as through a subscriber's personal computer 198. Anon-limiting example of remote control 118 includes a hand-heldcontroller device, a game controller device, a keyboard/mouse device,another control device, or any combination thereof.

CF tier 102 includes a client-facing tier (CFT) switch 130, a dataserver 132, a terminal server 134, and a video-on-demand (VOD) server136. CFT switch 130 manages communication with client equipment 110through access network 192 and with application tier 104 and acquisitiontier 106 through private network 194. CFT switch 130 is coupled to dataserver 132 that stores data transmitted in response to subscriberrequests. CFT switch 130 is also coupled to terminal server 134 thatprovides terminal devices, such as a game application server, or otherdevices with a common connection point to private network 194. CFTswitch 130 is also coupled to VOD server 136.

Application tier 104 includes application tier (APP) switches 140 and141, an application server 142, an operation systems and support/billingsystems and support (OSS/BSS) server 144, a subscriber and system store145, a domain controller 146, and a client gateway 147. APP switches 140and 141 manage communication with CF tier 102 and acquisition tier 106through private network 194. APP switch 141 also manages communicationwith acquisition tier 106 and OM tier 108 through public network 196.APP switch 140 is coupled to APP switch 141. APP switch 140 is alsocoupled to application server 142 and to OSS/BSS gateway 144.Application server 142 provides applications to set-top box 114 througha set-top box application 143, so that set-top box 114 can providefunctions such as recording and displaying content, messaging, andprocessing of IPTV data and VOD material. OSS/BSS gateway 144 includesoperation systems and support (OSS) data, and billing systems andsupport (BSS) data.

APP switch 141 is coupled to domain controller 146 and to subscriber andsystem store 145. Domain controller 146 provides web access, forexample, to subscribers via public network 196. Subscriber and systemstore 145 includes account information that is associated withsubscribers who access IPTV system 100 via private network 194 or publicnetwork 196. Application tier 104 also communicates data directly to CFtier 102 through client gateway 147. In this embodiment, client gateway147 is coupled directly to CFT switch 130.

Client gateway 147 provides subscriber access to private network 194 andtiers coupled thereto. In particular, set-top box 114 accesses IPTVsystem 100 via access network 192 using information received from clientgateway 147. Access network 192 provides security for private network194. Client equipment 110 accesses client gateway 147 via access network192, and client gateway 147 allows client equipment 110 to accessprivate network 194 once client equipment 110 is authenticated orverified. Similarly, client gateway 147 prevents unauthorized clientequipment (not illustrated), such as hacker computers or stolen set-topbox devices, from accessing private network 194 by denying access tothese devices beyond access network 192.

For example, when set-top box device 114 accesses IPTV system 100 viaaccess network 192, client gateway 147 verifies subscriber informationby communicating with subscriber and system store 145 via privatenetwork 194, APP switch 140, and APP switch 141. Further, client gateway147 verifies billing information and status by communicating withOSS/BSS gateway 144 via private network 194 and APP switch 140. OSS/BSSgateway 144 transmits a query across APP switch 140, to APP switch 141,and APP switch 141 communicates the query across public network 196 toan OSS/BSS server 164 (described below). After the client gateway 147confirms subscriber and/or billing information, client gateway 147allows set-top box device 114 access to IPTV system 100 content and VODserver 136 content. If client gateway 147 cannot verify subscriberinformation for set-top box 114, such as when set-top box 114 isconnected to a different twisted pair, or when set-top box 114 isstolen, client gateway 147 denies transmissions to and from set-top boxdevice 114 beyond access network 192.

Domain controller 146 communicates with public network 196 via APPswitch 141. Domain controller 146 includes a web portal that allows asubscriber to access IPTV system 100 using a personal computer 198.Domain controller 146 also communicates with a data network 172 that isconnected to a wireless access point 174. Wireless access point 174communicates with a subscriber's wireless device 176 to provide wirelessaccess to IPTV system 100. A non-limiting example of a wireless device176 includes a cellular telephone, a personal digital assistant, amobile e-mail device, a portable digital video device, another wirelessdevice, or any combination thereof. Wireless device 176 includes adisplay device 178 for displaying information from IPTV system 100.Display device 178 includes a text display, a picture display, a videodisplay or any combination thereof.

Acquisition tier 106 includes an acquisition tier (AQT) switch 150, alive acquisition server 152, a broadcast service 154, and avideo-on-demand importer server 156. AQT switch 150 managescommunication with CF tier 104 and application tier 104 through privatenetwork 194, and with application tier 104 and OM tier 108 throughpublic network 196. AQT switch 150 is coupled to live acquisition server152, and video-on-demand importer server 156. Live acquisition server152 acquires television content from broadcast service 154. Liveacquisition server 152 sends the television content to AQT switch 150for transmission to CF tier 102 via private network 194. The televisioncontent is further encoded at data server 132, and sent to clientequipment 110 via access network 192. Set-top box 114 receives thetelevision content from modem 112, decodes the television content, andtransmits the information to display device 116 according to commandsfrom remote control device 120.

Additionally, VOD importer server 156 receives content from one or morevideo-on-demand sources that are outside IPTV system 100, such as moviestudios and programmers of non-live content. VOD importer server 156transmits the video-on-demand content to AQT switch 150, and AQT switch150 communicates the material to CFT switch 130 via private network 194.The video-on-demand content is stored on VOD server 136. When asubscriber issues a request for VOD content to set-top box 114 throughremote control 118, the request is transmitted over access network 192to VOD server 136 via CFT switch 130. Upon receiving such a request, VODserver 136 retrieves the requested VOD content and transmits the contentto set-top box or 114 across access network 192 via CFT switch 130.

OM tier 108 includes an OM tier (OMT) switch 160, a TV2 server 162, theOSS/BSS server 164, and a simple network management protocol (SNMP)monitor server 166. OMT switch 160 manages the communication between OMtier 108 and public network 196. OMT switch 160 is coupled to TV2 server162, OSS/BSS server 164, and SNMP monitor server 166 that monitorsnetwork devices. TV2 server 162 receives television content from liveacquisition server 152, or video-on-demand content from VOD importerserver 156 through public network 196. The television andvideo-on-demand content is sent by TV2 server 162 to OMT switch 160 andforwarded to a subscriber of IPTV system 100 who accesses public network196 through personal computer 198.

FIG. 2 shows third party content and service providers 200 for IPTVsystem 100. Content and service providers 200 include a content provider210, a live stream provider 220, and a hosted application provider 230.Content provider 210 includes an interface system 212, a firewall 214,and a provider network 216. Live stream provider 220 includes aninterface system 222, a firewall 224, and provider network 226. Hostedapplication provider 230 includes an interface system 232, a firewall234, and provider network 236. IPTV system 100 is illustrated asincluding application tier 104, acquisition tier 106, and operations andmaintenance tier 108. In a particular embodiment, providers 210, 220,and 230 are connected to one or more of application tier 104,acquisition tier 106, and operations and maintenance tier 108 to providethe associated content and receive requests or status and maintenanceinformation. In another embodiment (not illustrated), providers 210,220, and 230 are also connected to client-facing tier 102 or to clientequipment 110 to provide content or other status and maintenanceinformation to IPTV system 100.

Content provider 210 is connected to IPTV system 100 through interfacesystem 212 to provide content to IPTV system 100, to receive requestsfor content, and to exchange status event and alert information withIPTV system 100. For example content provider 210 can be connected via aprimary link (not illustrated) to acquisition tier 106 to providecontent to IPTV system 100, and content provider 210 can be connectedvia a secondary link (not illustrated) to operations and maintenancetier 108 to receive a request from IPTV system 100 for the content or toshare status event and alert information. In a particular embodiment,the content provided by content provider 210 is pushed to IPTV system100 at a predetermined time interval. For example, content provider 210can represent a premium content channel such as Home Box Office, Starz,another premium content channel, or a combination thereof. Here, contentprovider 210 can distribute content to IPTV system 100 in advance of aprogrammed viewing interval, such as for a day of programming, at sometime prior to the programmed day. In another embodiment, IPTV system 100makes a request to content provider 210 for content. Thus, for example,content provider 210 can represent a source of on-demand content.

Live stream provider 220 is connected to IPTV system 100 throughinterface system 222 to provide live content streams to IPTV system 100and to exchange status event and alert information with IPTV system 100.For example live stream provider 220 can be connected via a primary link(not illustrated) to acquisition tier 106 to provide streaming contentto IPTV system 100, and via a secondary link (not illustrated) tooperations and maintenance tier 108 to share status event and alertinformation. For example, live stream provider 220 can represent a localnetwork affiliate that can distribute live content to IPTV system 100such as live newscasts or sporting events.

Hosted application provider 230 is connected to IPTV system 100 throughinterface system 232 to provide applications and services to IPTV system100, to receive requests for the applications and services, and toexchange status event and alert information with IPTV system 100. Forexample hosted application provider 230 can be connected via a primarylink (not illustrated) to application tier 104 to provide applicationsand services to IPTV system 100, and can be connected via a secondarylink (not illustrated) to operations and maintenance tier 108 to receiverequests for the applications and services or status event and alertinformation. In a non-limiting example, hosted application provider 230provides Internet based services, music applications, trafficinformation, other applications and services, or a combination thereof.

In operation, interface systems 212, 222, and 232 provide interfacesbetween IPTV system 100 and providers 210, 220, and 230, respectively.Interface systems 212, 222, and 232 are maintained and managed by therespective providers 210, 220, and 230, and include status event andalert hooks that are used by IPTV system 100. Providers 210, 220, and230 each maintain their respective firewalls 214, 224, and 234 in frontof provider networks 216, 226, and 236. The status event and alert hooksprovide a mechanism whereby problems with provider networks 216, 226,and 236 are identified to IPTV system 100, or problems with IPTV system100 in receiving content from providers 210, 220, or 230 are identifiedto the affected provider 210, 220, or 230.

Table 1 illustrates an example of status events and alerts that can beprovided by interface systems 212, 222, and 232. Various events arelisted in the first column. The events may relate to a video contentsystem, as listed in the second column, or to a backend system as listedin the third column. A threshold level can be associated with each eventthat defines when an alert is sent to IPTV system 100, as listed in thefourth column. The threshold can be defined by the presence of acondition, indicated as “If YES” in the threshold column. For example,the event labeled “Server Down (cold/warm boot) can generate an alert ifa server in either the video system or the backend system is notoperational. The threshold can also be defined by a percent level or anabsolute level, indicated as “>80%” or “>N” in the threshold column. Forexample, the event labeled “Server CPU Utilization” can generate analert if a server in either the video system or the backend systemexceeds 80% CPU utilization, or the event labeled “Server ExcessProcess” can generate an alert if a server in either the video system orthe backend system is running more than “N” processes.

TABLE 1 Third Party Events Video Backend Event System System ThresholdServer Down (cold/warm boot) X X If YES Server CPU Utilization X X >80%Server RAM Utilization X X >80% Server HDD Utilization X X >80% ServerHigh Temperature X X If YES Server Fan Failure X X If YES ServerSoftware Error (OS, X X If YES Server Excess Process X X >N Network LinkDown X X If YES Network Node Down X X If YES DNS Error X X If YESDatabase Read/Write Error N/A X If YES File System Outage X X If YESSource Media Streaming Error X N/A If YES Authentication Failure X X IfYES Application Custom Event X X If YES

Providers 210, 220, and 230 can also provide alerts for custom events,as indicated in the row labeled “Application Custom Event.” In aparticular embodiment, hosted application provider 230 can operate aninteractive television application where clients of IPTV system 100 caninteract with a set-top box to receive the application's content. Forexample, a provider can operate a “Santa Tracker” channel during theChristmas season, a fantasy sports channel during the regular season forthe sport, a stock trading channel, another type of interactiveapplication, or a combination thereof. Screens associated with theapplication can include text, still and video images, music, or othermedia information. Custom events associated with an application cangenerate alerts for errors in retrieving, loading, or displaying themedia information. Screens can also include interactive content, andcustom events can generate alerts for errors in sending information tothe provider or in receiving results from the provider.

FIG. 3 illustrates a maintenance system 300 for managing status eventsand alerts in IPTV system 100. Maintenance system 300 includes an alertlogger module 310, a ticketing module 320, an operations module 330, amobile device interface module 332, a social network interface module334, a network 340, and one or more provider alert modules 350. Alertlogger module 310 is connected to ticket generating module 320, tooperations module 330, and to network 340. Ticketing module 320 is alsoconnected to operations module 330. Operations module 330 is alsoconnected to mobile device interface module 332, and to social networkinterface module 334. Network 340 is also connected to provider alertmodule 350. Alert logger module 310, ticketing module 320, operationsmodule 330, mobile device interface module 332, social network interfacemodule 334, and provider alert module 350 can be implemented inhardware, software, or any combination thereof. Each module may includeone or more computer systems. When a module includes more than onecomputer system, the functions of the module can be distributed acrossthe multiple computer systems in a symmetric manner, where each computersystem performs the same type of tasks, or in an asymmetric manner,where two computer systems of the module may perform different tasks.

Alert logger module 310 receives event alerts for IPTV system 100. Thealerts include internal events generated by the elements of IPTV system100, and external events generated by provider alert module 350. In aparticular embodiment, the elements of IPTV system 100 and provideralert module 350 include an event agent (not illustrated) that monitorsfor alerts generated by the associated element or module. Uponoccurrence of an event, the agent sends the alert to alert logger module310. In another embodiment, the elements of IPTV system 100 and provideralert module 350 include an event log (not illustrated) that logs thealerts generated by the associated element or module. Then, alert loggermodule 310 periodically requests the alert logs from the elements ofIPTV system 100 and from provider alert module 350. A non-limitingexample of an alert logger module 310 includes a server runningMicrosoft System Center Operations Manager (SCOM) software, Linux orUnix alert logging software, Mac OS alert logging software, anotheralert logging software, or a combination thereof.

Alert logger module 310 sends information related to some or all of thelogged alerts to ticketing module 320 and to operations module 330. Assuch, alert logger module 310 can function to filter the alerts receivedfrom the elements of IPTV system 100 and from provider alert module 350,determine that certain alerts relate to routine matters in IPTV system100, and that other alerts relate to problems in IPTV system 100. Thusalert logger module 310 can send the information related to problems inIPTV system 100 to ticketing module 320 and to operations module 330,and not send the information related to routine matters in IPTV system100. For example, alert logger module 310 can receive an alert everytime a packet is dropped in IPTV system 100. Below a predetermined levelof dropped packets in IPTV system 100, the alerts can be deemed to beroutine. However, if more packets are dropped in IPTV system 100 thanthe predetermined level, then alert logger module 310 can send summaryinformation related to the number and character of the dropped packetsto ticketing module 320 and to operations module 330.

Ticketing module 320 receives the information from alert logger module310 and automatically generates work tickets (not illustrated) basedupon the alert information. As such, ticketing module 320 appliesbusiness rules to the received alert information to determine an urgencyfor the events associated with the alerts, and to prioritize the worktickets based upon the urgency of the events. For example, alertinformation indicating an excessive number of dropped packets in IPTVnetwork 100 can be deemed less urgent than a link failure between IPTVsystem 100 and one or more of providers 210, 220, or 230. Thus ticketingmodule 320 can give the ticket associated with the link failure a higherpriority than the ticket associated with the excessive number of droppedpackets. Ticketing module 320 also includes a correlation engine (notshown) to determine if two or more of the alerts received from alertlogger module 310 correlate to indicate a problem that may not otherwisebe indicated by the presence of the individual alerts, and to generate awork ticket based upon the correlation. For example, a lone alertindicating that set-top box 114 failed to receive content for aparticular application can generate a ticket to repair set-top box 114,and a lone alert indicating that set-top box application 143 failed toreceive an acknowledgement of receipt of the content from set-top boxapplication 143 can generate a ticket to repair set-top box application143. However, these alerts taken together can generate a ticket torepair switches 130 and 140 that transport the content between set-topbox application 143 and set-top box 114.

Operations module 330 receives the work tickets from ticketing module320 and automatically allocates resources to dispose of the worktickets. As such, operations module 330 can represent a service andrepair system in an operations department of IPTV system 100. Disposingof the work tickets involves assigning the work tickets to one or moreoperations technicians that evaluate the work ticket, determine a rootcause for the event, and repair the problem at the root cause of theevent. As such, operations module 330 operates to determine if aparticular operations technician is available to work on a work ticket.Upon determining that the particular operations technician is available,operations module 330 sends a text message or a voice mail to mobiledevice module 332 for distribution to a mobile device (not illustrated)associated with the particular operations technician. Operations module330 also posts a description of the work ticket to social networkinterface module 334 for posting on a public or a proprietary operationsdepartment social network (not illustrated), and sends a message to theparticular operations technician's account on the operations departmentsocial network. Operations module 330 also has access to the alertslogged in alert logger module 310 in order to identify new businessrules and correlations to implement in ticketing module 320.

Provider alert module 350 generates alerts based upon the occurrence ofevents within service providers 200. In a particular embodiment,provider alert module 350 generates alerts for providers 210, 220, and230 based upon the events associated with the content, applications, andservices from providers 210, 220, and 230. In another embodiment, one ormore provider alert modules 350 is associated with each of providers210, 220, and 230. When an event occurs, provider alert module 350 sendsan alert to alert logger module 310 through network 340. An example ofnetwork 340 includes the Internet, a proprietary network established bythe operator of IPTV system 100 for providing secure communication ofalerts, another network, or a combination thereof. In this way, alertsfrom service providers 200 are communicated to maintenance system 300for logging, ticketing, and disposition by event logger module 310,ticketing module 320, and operations module 330, respectively.

In another embodiment (not illustrated), ticketing module 320 isconnected to network 340, and alerts from provider alert module 350 arealso sent to ticketing module 320. In this embodiment, provider alertmodules 350 has an event agent that includes the ability to filter thealerts such that routine alerts are not sent to ticketing module 320. Inanother embodiment (not illustrated), operations module 330 is connectedto network 340. Here, operations module 330 includes an operationsinterface module that permits alerts generated from provider alertmodule 350 to be sent to a particular operations technician's mobiledevice through mobile device interface module 332, or to the operationstechnician's account on the operations department social network throughsocial network interface module 334.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart illustrating an embodiment of a method for alerttracking in an IPTV system. The method starts in block 402 where anevent condition occurs and an alert is generated. For example, a serverin provider network 216 can exhibit a high temperature condition, andprovider alert module 350 can log the event in an event log. The alertis received in block 404. Thus, alert logger module 310 can send arequest for alerts from provider alert module 350 and can receive thealert from provider alert module 350. A decision is made as to whetheror not the alert is the result of a routine event in decision block 406.Here, alert logger module 310 can determine whether or not the alertprovided by provider alert module 350 constitutes it the result of aroutine event and filter out routine alerts while forwarding non-routinealerts to ticketing module 320. If the alert is the result of a routineevent, then the “YES” branch of decision block 406 is taken, and themethod ends in block 424.

If the alert is not the result of a routine event, the “NO” branch ofdecision block 406 is taken, and the alert information is sent in block408. For example, alert logger module 310 can send the alert informationto ticking module 320. The alert is correlated with other alertsreceived to determine if the combination of alerts indicates a differentroot cause of the event in block 410. For example, ticketing module 320can apply business rules and the correlation engine to determine theroot cause of the event associated with the alert. A work ticket isgenerated in block 412, the work ticket is prioritized in block 414, andthe work ticket is sent in block 416. Thus ticketing module 320 cangenerate a work ticket based upon the alert information, use thebusiness rules and the correlation engine to determine an urgency of theevent that resulted in the alert, prioritize the work ticket based uponthe urgency of the event, and send the work ticket to operations module430.

The work ticket is disposed of in block 418. For example, operationsmodule 330 can determine that a particular operations technician isavailable to work on the work ticket, and can assign the work ticket tothe operations technician. The operations technician can evaluate thework ticket, determine a root cause for the event, and repair theproblem at the root cause of the event. A phone message is sent in block420. Thus operations module 330 can send a text or voice mail message toa mobile device associated with the assigned operations technicianthrough mobile device interface module 332. The work ticket is posted toa social network in block 422, and processing ends in block 424. Here,operations module 330 can post a description of the work ticket to anoperations department social network through social network interfacemodule 334, and can send a message to an account on the operationsdepartment social network associated with the assigned operationstechnician.

FIG. 5 shows an illustrative embodiment of a general computer system 500in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure.Computer system 500 includes a set of instructions that can be executedto cause computer system 500 to perform any one or more of the methodsor computer based functions disclosed herein. Computer system 500 canoperate as a standalone device or can be connected via a network toother computer systems or peripheral devices.

In a networked deployment, computer system 500 operates in the capacityof a server or as a client computer in a server-client networkenvironment, or as a peer computer system in a peer-to-peer (ordistributed) network environment. Computer system 500 can also beimplemented as or incorporated into various devices, such as a personalcomputer (PC), a tablet PC, a set-top box, a personal digital assistant(PDA), a mobile device, a palmtop computer, a laptop computer, a desktopcomputer, a communications device, a wireless telephone, a land-linetelephone, a control system, a camera, a scanner, a facsimile machine, aprinter, a pager, a personal trusted device, a web appliance, a networkrouter, switch or bridge, or any other machine capable of executing aset of instructions (sequential or otherwise) that specify actions to betaken by that machine. In a particular embodiment, computer system 500is implemented using electronic devices that provide voice, video ordata communication. Further, while computer system 500 is illustrated asa single system, the term “system” shall also be taken to include anycollection of systems or sub-systems that individually or jointlyexecute a set, or multiple sets, of instructions to perform one or morecomputer functions.

Computer system 500 includes a processor 502 such as a centralprocessing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), or both.Moreover, computer system 500 includes a main memory 504 and a staticmemory 506 that communicate with each other via a bus 508. Computersystem 500 further includes a video display unit 510, such as a liquidcrystal display (LCD), an organic light emitting diode (OLED), a flatpanel display, a solid state display, or a cathode ray tube (CRT).Additionally, computer system 500 includes an input device 512, such asa keyboard, and a cursor control device 514, such as a mouse. Computersystem 500 also includes a disk drive unit 516, a signal generationdevice 518, such as a speaker or remote control, and a network interfacedevice 520.

In a particular embodiment, disk drive unit 516 includes acomputer-readable medium 522 in which one or more sets of instructions524 are embedded. Instructions 524 embody one or more of the methods orlogic as described herein. In a particular embodiment, instructions 524reside completely, or at least partially, within main memory 504, staticmemory 506, and/or within processor 502 during execution by computersystem 500. Main memory 504 and processor 502 also includecomputer-readable media. Network interface device 520 providesconnectivity to a network 526 such as a wide area network (WAN), a localarea network (LAN), or other network. The present disclosurecontemplates a computer-readable medium that includes instructions 524or receives and executes instructions 524 responsive to a propagatedsignal, so that a device connected to network 526 can communicate voice,video or data over network 526. Further, instructions 524 can betransmitted or received by network 526 via network interface device 520.

In an alternative embodiment, dedicated hardware implementations such asapplication specific integrated circuits, programmable logic arrays andother hardware devices can be constructed to implement one or more ofthe methods described herein. Applications that include the apparatusand systems of various embodiments can broadly include a variety ofelectronic and computer systems. One or more embodiments describedherein can implement functions using two or more specific interconnectedhardware modules or devices with related control and data signals thatcan be communicated between and through the modules, or as portions ofan application-specific integrated circuit. Accordingly, the presentsystem encompasses software, firmware, or hardware implementations, or acombination thereof.

In accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure, themethods described herein can be implemented by software code executableby a computer system. Further, in an exemplary, non-limited embodiment,implementations can include distributed processing, component/objectdistributed processing, and parallel processing. Alternatively, virtualcomputer system processing can be constructed to implement one or moreof the methods or functionality as described herein.

While the computer-readable medium is shown to be a single medium, theterm “computer-readable medium” includes a single medium or multiplemedia, such as a centralized or distributed database, and/or associatedcaches and servers that store one or more sets of instructions. The term“computer-readable medium” shall also include any medium that is capableof storing, encoding or carrying a set of instructions for execution bya processor or that cause a computer system to perform any one or moreof the methods or operations disclosed herein.

In a particular non-limiting, exemplary embodiment, thecomputer-readable medium can include a solid-state memory such as amemory card or other package that houses one or more non-volatileread-only memories. Further, the computer-readable medium can be arandom access memory or other volatile re-writable memory. Additionally,the computer-readable medium can include a magneto-optical or opticalmedium, such as a disk or tapes or other storage device to capturecarrier wave signals such as a signal communicated over a transmissionmedium. A digital file attachment to an e-mail or other self-containedinformation archive or set of archives can be considered a distributionmedium that is equivalent to a tangible storage medium. Accordingly, thedisclosure is considered to include any one or more of acomputer-readable medium or a distribution medium and other equivalentsand successor media, in which data or instructions can be stored.

The illustrations of the embodiments described herein are intended toprovide a general understanding of the structure of the variousembodiments. The illustrations are not intended to serve as a completedescription of all of the elements and features of apparatus and systemsthat utilize the structures or methods described herein. Many otherembodiments can be apparent to those of skill in the art upon reviewingthe disclosure. Other embodiments can be utilized and derived from thedisclosure, such that structural and logical substitutions and changescan be made without departing from the scope of the disclosure.Additionally, the illustrations are merely representational and may notbe drawn to scale. Certain proportions within the illustrations may beexaggerated, while other proportions may be minimized. Accordingly, thedisclosure and the figures are to be regarded as illustrative ratherthan restrictive.

The Abstract of the Disclosure is provided to comply with 37 C.F.R.§1.72(b) and is submitted with the understanding that it will not beused to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims. Inaddition, in the foregoing Detailed Description of the Drawings, variousfeatures may be grouped together or described in a single embodiment forthe purpose of streamlining the disclosure. This disclosure is not to beinterpreted as reflecting an intention that the claimed embodimentsrequire more features than are expressly recited in each claim. Rather,as the following claims reflect, inventive subject matter may bedirected to less than all of the features of any of the disclosedembodiments. Thus, the following claims are incorporated into theDetailed Description of the Drawings, with each claim standing on itsown as defining separately claimed subject matter.

The above disclosed subject matter is to be considered illustrative, andnot restrictive, and the appended claims are intended to cover all suchmodifications, enhancements, and other embodiments which fall within thetrue spirit and scope of the present disclosed subject matter. Thus, tothe maximum extent allowed by law, the scope of the present disclosedsubject matter is to be determined by the broadest permissibleinterpretation of the following claims and their equivalents, and shallnot be restricted or limited

What is claimed is:
 1. A method, comprising: receiving, by a systemcomprising a processor, an alert from equipment of a service provider,wherein the alert is directed to an internet protocol televisionnetwork, and wherein the alert is associated with a fault eventoccurring at the equipment of the service provider; correlating, by thesystem, the alert with other alerts received by the system to determinewhether a root cause of the fault event is related to the equipment ofthe service provider that generated the alert or other equipmentproviding services to the equipment of the service provider;determining, by the system, an urgency for the fault event according tobusiness rules and a result of correlating the alert with other alerts;generating, by the system, a work ticket associated with the alert;assigning, by the system, a first priority to the work ticket based uponthe urgency for the fault event to generate a prioritized work ticket;allocating, by the system, the prioritized work ticket; and sending, bythe system, to a mobile device a first message regarding the prioritizedwork ticket; posting, by the system, the prioritized work ticket and adescription thereof at a social network; and sending, by the system, asecond message to an account associated with the social network.
 2. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the first message comprises a text message.3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first message comprises a voicemail message.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the account is furtherassociated with an operations technician.
 5. The method of claim 1,wherein determining the urgency further comprises determining from theresult of the correlation that the other equipment providing services tothe equipment of the service provider is the root cause of the faultevent associated with the equipment of the service provider, and whereinthe first priority has a lower priority than a second priority assignedto another work ticketed generated for the other equipment.
 6. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the fault event includes a server faultcondition on a server associated with the service provider.
 7. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the fault event includes a fault associatedwith an application provided by the service provider.
 8. A methodcomprising: receiving, by a system comprising a processor, an alert fromequipment of a service provider, wherein the alert is directed to aninternet protocol television network, and wherein the alert isassociated with a fault event; correlating, by the system, the alertwith other alerts received by the system to determine whether a rootcause of the fault event is related to the equipment of the serviceprovider that generated the alert or other equipment providing servicesto the equipment of the service provider; determining, by the system, anurgency for the fault event; generating a work ticket associated withthe alert; assigning, by the system, a first priority to the work ticketthat is lower in priority than a second priority assigned to anotherwork ticket generated for the other equipment to generate a prioritizedwork ticket; sending, by the system, the prioritized work ticket to anoperations module; allocating the prioritized work ticket; and sending,by the system, to a mobile device a first message regarding theprioritized work ticket; posting, by the system, the prioritized workticket and a description thereof at a social network; and sending, bythe system, a second message to an account associated with the socialnetwork.
 9. The method of claim 8, wherein the first message comprises atext message.
 10. The method of claim 8, wherein the first messagecomprises a voice mail message.
 11. The method of claim 8, wherein theaccount is further associated with an operations technician.
 12. Themethod of claim 8, wherein the equipment of the service providercomprises a server associated with the service provider.
 13. The methodof claim 8, wherein the fault event is associated with an applicationprovided by the equipment of the service provider. 14.Machine-executable code embedded within a tangible device comprisinginstructions, which responsive to being executed by a processor, causethe processor to perform operations comprising: receiving an alert froma service provider, wherein the alert is directed to an internetprotocol television network, and wherein the alert is associated with afault event; determining from a correlation of the alert and otheralerts that a root cause of the fault event is related to equipment ofthe service provider that generated the alert or other equipmentproviding services to the equipment of the service provider; determiningan urgency for the fault event according to the correlation; generatinga work ticket associated with the alert; assigning a priority to thework ticket based upon the urgency for the fault event to generate aprioritized work ticket; allocating the prioritized work ticket; andsending to a mobile device a message regarding the prioritized workticket; posting the prioritized work ticket and a description thereof ata social network; and sending a message to an account associated withthe social network.
 15. The machine-executable code of claim 14, whereinthe account is further associated with a technician.
 16. Themachine-executable code of claim 14, wherein the fault event is a serverfault condition on a server associated with the equipment of the serviceprovider.
 17. The machine-executable code of claim 14, wherein the faultevent is a fault associated with an application supplied by theequipment of the service provider.